Key facts
- Armenia is holding parliamentary elections.
- Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is seeking a third term.
- Pashinyan's government faces declining domestic support.
- Russia is exerting economic and political pressure on the government.
- The EU and US support Pashinyan's pro-Western stance.
- The election is seen as a test of Pashinyan's peace efforts with Azerbaijan.
Armenians are heading to the polls in a pivotal parliamentary election that will determine the nation's future trajectory amid a complex geopolitical landscape and ongoing peace efforts following a military defeat by Azerbaijan. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is vying for a third term in office, a bid that comes as his government grapples with diminishing domestic support. The political climate is further intensified by substantial economic and political pressure from Russia, which seeks to maintain its influence over the former Soviet republic. Polls indicate Pashinyan's ruling Civil Contract party is leading, with the pro-Russian Strong Armenia party trailing. Both the European Union and the United States have expressed support for Pashinyan's cautious pro-Western orientation, highlighting the broader Russia-West contest for influence in the South Caucasus region.